Being On Stage Is a ‘Miracle’ For Teens On the Spectrum
By Rina Baraz Nehdar
I don’t know much about autism, but I’m hearing phrases such as “on the spectrum” and “high functioning” more and more often. When I gave birth to my first son in 2008, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was reporting that one in every 150 children had autism. Today that number is one in 68.
Parents of children on the autism spectrum might worry about their child’s differences, but a program called The Miracle Project celebrates them. Created by former acting coach Elaine Hall, the project brings neurotypical teens and teens on the autism spectrum together on stage, and teaches them how to express themselves in creative, nonconventional ways.
The Miracle Project partnered with CSUN’s Teen Drama Workshop July 11-17 to put on a play called Joining the Spectrum. I took my 4- and 6-year-old sons to see the production, and they were already getting frisky during the introduction – when we learned the entire musical was put together in only three weeks – but I needn’t have worried.
As soon as the lights in the theater dimmed, my rambunctious boys stilled, mesmerized by the colorful costumes and animated performances. As the show progressed, I noticed myself trying to identify which teen belonged in which group – neurotypical or on the spectrum. And the painstaking choreography was exhilarating to watch, even through the tears that kept trying to block my vision.
Joining the Spectrum is about a young girl named Mavis who receives a popular video game called “The Spectrum” for her birthday. The futuristic game allows her to interact with the game elements in person, visiting the different colored lands and meeting the distinct personalities represented by each color group. When four evil villains called the Masterminds plot to sabotage the color groups and shut down the game, Mavis must save each color land from doom. During the course of her heroics, she learns about the unique beauty of the individual colors that make up the rainbow spectrum through their songs and dances. Read more here.
